Yankees exec recalls ex-teammate Splittorff
Mark Newman and Paul Splittorff made it big in baseball.
Newman holds one of the highest front-office positions with the New York Yankees, one of the world's most renowned professional sports franchises.
Splittorff was a central figure as a pitcher and broadcaster with the Kansas City Royals, one of baseball's model franchises in the 1970s and 1980s.
But on Wednesday morning, after learning of the death of Splittorff at age 64 from cancer, Newman reminisced about their humble origins as American Legion teammates in Arlington Heights for legendary coach Lloyd Meyer.
“We had a great time playing American Legion baseball,” said Newman, the Yankees senior vice president for baseball operations. “I roomed with him at times and had a great appreciation for him as an athlete and as a person. He was a heck of a basketball player and a shooter (at Arlington High).”
Splittorff was not a big-time baseball prospect for an Arlington American Legion team that reached the World Series. His fortunes turned when the home plate umpire at one of the games was also the coach at Morningside College in Iowa, where Splittorff went on to star in baseball and basketball.
“Who knows what would have happened but for the Arlington American Legion program,” said Newman, who is in his 23rd year in the Yankees organization. “Split got a new lease on life and really did well.”
So well that Splittorff's 166 victories with the Royals from 1970-84 is still the franchise's career standard. He also beat the Yankees twice during four memorable American League playoff series (1976-78 and 1980) and was 14-16 lifetime against the Bronx Bombers in the regular season.
“He was awful tough on us,” Newman said. “He had a good feel and understanding of how to pitch and how to get hitters out. That's what kept him in the big leagues so long and what made him a winner.”
Newman was impressed with how Splittorff worked to become an accomplished broadcaster of Royals and college basketball games.
“A class act,” Newman said. “He was a good guy.”